Saphira
Saphira (pronounced "suh-FEAR-uh"), also known as Saphira II (used by fans to distinguish between the two dragons named "Saphira" in the books, the other being the dragon formerly bonded with Brom), Flametongue by the Urgals, and''' Bjartskular''' (meaning "Brightscales" in the Ancient Language) by the elves, was the only female dragon known to exist during the time of Eragon II, aside from Eldunari. She was bonded to Eragon Shadeslayer as her Dragon Rider after her egg was rescued by the Varden's agents from the clutches of Galbatorix, and was transported to the Spine by Arya, where Eragon found the egg. She was trained by Glaedr. History Saphira was the only bonded egg given to the riders from the mating of Iormûngr, a male dragon bound to a Dragon Rider, and Vervada, a wild female dragon. Both dragons perished during the Fall of the Dragon Riders. Saphira's sapphire-blue colored egg, along with two others (emerald green and ruby red) were found and taken by Galbatorix during the Fall. Galbatorix tried desperately to find a Rider for whom the eggs would hatch, but was unsuccessful. None of the dragons responded to the touch of anyone in the Empire. Later in Galbatorix's reign, a former Rider known as Brom and a scholar named Jeod discovered a secret entrance into Urû'baen. The Varden appointed a thief, Hefring, to steal the eggs. His mission went amiss and he was only able to recover a single egg, which was later taken from him by Morzan, who slew Hefring. Brom eventually tracked down and killed Morzan and his dragon, thus recovering the egg for the Varden. The egg was then transported back and forth from the Varden to the kingdom of the elves, in the hope that the Dragon would eventually hatch. The egg-courier was Arya, daughter of Islanzadí, the Elf-queen. However, the egg did not hatch. Role in Eragon After fifteen years, Galbatorix sent the Shade Durza to ambush Arya. Arya was captured and her two companions killed, but not before she successfully teleported the egg towards Carvahall, where she hoped it would reach Brom. However, the Eldunarí in the Vault of Souls, which is in Doru Areaba (on Vroengard), changed the flow of magic so that Saphira's egg would appear to Eragon instead—the dragons thought that Saphira might hatch for Eragon, and they were growing restless waiting for Galbatorix to be overthrown. The egg was found by Eragon while he was hunting in the mysterious mountain range known as the Spine. Eragon first mistook it for a blue stone of great value. A few days later, Saphira hatched for him. When Eragon touched the newborn dragon, his right palm burned suddenly and sent an icy feeling through out him. This gave him the gedwëy ignasia, the mark of a Dragon Rider. Their minds were linked mentally, and almost immediately they were able to communicate with images and feelings. Saphira and Eragon's bond grew stronger with time as they escaped from Carvahall with Brom to hunt the Ra'zac for vengeance after the murder of Garrow, Eragon's uncle. Later, with Murtagh's help, Saphira rescued Eragon from an Imperial prison in Gil'ead. Eragon found the elf who was really Arya whom he had seen in his sleep. They fled to the Beor Mountains in search of the Varden. After a long journey through the Hadarac Desert, and being chased by the Urgals known as Kull, they arrived at Farthen Dûr; capital of the Dwarves and hiding place of the Varden. There, Saphira and Eragon met Ajihad, leader of the Varden, who offered them shelter from the Empire. Soon, a legion of Urgals under Durza's command attacked Farthen Dûr. After a long battle, the Varden were victorious. Role in Eldest In Eldest, Saphira and Eragon travel to Du Weldenvarden to continue their training. Because of the guilt the elves felt due to the Fall of the Dragon Riders, Saphira was treasured among the elves. She and Eragon were there taught by Glaedr, a surviving dragon and his Rider Oromis Mourning Sage. Their training was interrupted when Eragon and Saphira flew to the aid of the Varden and fought in the Battle of the Burning Plains. During the battle, Eragon and Saphira were defeated by the new Rider and Dragon, Murtagh and Thorn. Murtagh didn't capture Eragon and Saphira, on account of their former friendship and family ties, and then departed with Thorn. Role in Brisingr In Brisingr, Saphira, Eragon, and Roran went to Helgrind to kill the Ra'zac and Lethrblaka, as well as rescue Roran's beloved, Katrina. Saphira was forced to separate from Eragon when he found Sloan and decided to spare his life. Saphira flew Roran and Katrina back to the Varden, while Eragon traveled across a significant portion of Alagaësia. Upon returning to the Varden, Nasuada sent him to Farthen Dûr to help oversee the appointment of the new dwarven monarch. After Orik was appointed king by the Clanmeet, Saphira joined Eragon in Farthen Dûr to honour Orik as king in the public ceremony and give the dwarves the gift that she owed them: repairing the Isidar Mithrim (star sapphire) which she and Arya had shattered when they flew to Eragon's aid in his battle with the Shade, Durza. Saphira and Eragon then flew to Du Weldenvarden to complete their training with Oromis and Glaedr. Here, Glaedr revealed that dragons possessed a heart of hearts, also known as an Eldunarí. Dragons could place their consciousness in it if they so chose. Saphira helped Eragon gather the brightsteel from under the Menoa Tree (by attacking it) so he and Rhunön could forge Brisingr, Eragon's new sword. Glaedr gave Saphira and Eragon his heart of hearts, which they promised to safeguard. Saphira and Eragon joined the Varden's Siege at Feinster, aiding the Varden in their victory. During a separate battle at Gil'ead, Glaedr and Oromis were killed by Murtagh and Thorn, who were possessed by Galbatorix. Role in Inheritance In Inheritance, Saphira was almost fatally wounded by a Dauthdaert at Belatona. She carried Eragon and Glaedr to the island of Vroengard through a fierce storm, using a Breathing Spell to survive. On the island, she, together with Eragon, found their true names and entered the Rock of Kuthian with Glaedr. Saphira was overjoyed by the revelation of the secret Eldunarí and dragon eggs. She took part in the battle with Galbatorix, battling Shruikan so that Arya could utilize the Dauthdaert. Saphira and Eragon helped to restore order in the chaos after Galbatorix's death but eventually decided that the best course of action would be to take eggs and Eldunarí with them, away from Alagaësia. After she met Fírnen, the emerald green dragon and last of Galbitorix's eggs the pair fell in love. Saphira mated with Fírnen after a courtship ritual. Fírnen's Rider was Arya. Saphira carried Roran, Katrina, and their daughter to Ellesméra and then left Alagaësia with Eragon. Physical appearance Saphira's scales and eyes were the color of sapphires, often described in the book as intense blue that refracted the light. The radiating blue tone of her scales resulted the nickname given to her by the elves, Saphira Brightscales. Her color, as described in the book, differed in the movie where she appeared a rather dull blue. Her vision was enhanced, for she was able to see blues more clearly and vibrantly than reds and greens. Her talons and spikes on her neck, back, and tail were bone-white. She had two serrated fangs that jutted out of her upper jaw onto her bottom lip slightly, and with all dragons, had white, sharp, knife-like, meat-shearing teeth. Her head was roughly triangular, and she also possessed four cheek spines, slightly curved horns, and forehead spines between her horns. Her body stature could be inferred as very aerodynamic and built for flying, and in Eldest, Oromis said that he had never seen a dragon so skilled at flying and naturally suited to the sky. Despite her young age she is one of the strongest dragons ever seen. She was named Saphira after Eragon went to Brom for names of past dragons. It was the only one that Saphira liked, being that Eragon presented her with mostly male names. Eragon and Saphira later found out that it was also the name of Brom's own dragon. Personality Though Saphira was young, she was very wise and often comforted and guided Eragon, and sometimes others, when they were upset or needed advice. Saphira was very proud, and it's been mentioned that she had never bowed to anyone except Islanzadí and several dwarves (while drunk). She also felt she was bending her pride slightly by calling Oromis and Glaedr "Master". Saphira was quite vain, thinking herself the most beautiful and magnificent creature in the world. While in Ellesmera, Saphira submitted to Glaedr. After he refused to mate with her, she attacked him, injuring both of them and becoming depressed. Eragon found her huddled up in a cave on the Stone of Broken Eggs, upset because she thought Glaedr didn't find her comely enough. Saphira would not hesitate to give people her blunt opinion and even threatened Ajihad by telling him that if he had tried to kill Eragon, she would have destroyed Farthen Dûr and torn him apart. Saphira also enjoyed fighting, but claimed that it was a good thing that Eragon didn't share her love of fighting, as they balanced each other out. In battle she was ferocious, and Eragon once told her that he was very glad they weren't enemies. It's likely that her ferocity came from her mother. As Eragon's dragon, Saphira had a deep emotional bond with him. As such, she would do anything to keep him alive. As a result, she went with him in most ventures, though not always agreeing with them. Her main goal was to keep Eragon safe, even stating that should Eragon be captured, she would go so far as to give herself up to Galbatorix, dooming Alagaësia, just to save Eragon. She was very protective of him and always looks out for his needs. In addition, Saphira's bond to Eragon was so strong that it could go to the point where sometimes Eragon and Saphira consider themselves as not as two beings but one. In Brisingr, Saphira and Eragon's bond was developed to point where they were able to finish the others' sentences and to be able to anticipate what each other would say. Most of the time they did this without even realizing it. When they were separated, Saphira seemed to handle it much better, probably due to her being alone many years of her life, but still felt sick when separated from Eragon, and is always reluctant to leave him, because she knew that he nearly always got into trouble without her there. Real-world connections * A "sapphire" (from the Greek word "sappheiros" which means "blue stone") is a valuable blue gemstone.Sapphire at Wikipedia * Sapphira, for which "Saphira" is an alternative, is an actual name.http://www.cool-baby-names.com Lineage Saphira's sire (father) was a bound dragon named Iormúngr, and her dam (mother) was a wild dragon named Vervada. She is also related to an apparently famous dragon named Raugmar the Black who was the great-great-great-grandsire of Vervada Raugmar in turn was a distant descendent of Belgabad, the largest and oldest wild dragon living at the time of the fall. Galleries Images from the books Saphira.jpg|Book cover of Eragon Swedish-eragon.jpg|The Swedish cover for Eragon Glaedr-saphira.jpg|Glaedr and Saphira in Eragon's Guide to Alagaësia Inheritance Japan E11V01 Eragon.jpg|Japanese edition of Eragon, vol. 1 Inheritance Japan E11V02 Eragon.jpg|Japanese edition of Eragon, vol. 2 Inheritance Japan E11V03 Eragon.jpg|Japanese edition of Eragon, vol. 3 saphira_bjartskular_by_eloises16-d5pwjee.jpg| Artwork created by EloiseS16.eloises16.deviantart.com/ Images from the film 657175-saphira super.jpg|Saphira rearing and flaring her wings Saphira flight.jpg|Saphira in flight Saphira_baby.png|Saphira after hatching from her egg F1166132660000.jpg|Saphira and Eragon at the Battle of Farthen Dûr Eragonandsaphiraeragon3.jpg|Eragon and Saphira enter into battle Eragon riding Saphira.jpg|A scared Eragon clings onto Saphira moments before his uncle's death. SaphiraFilm.jpg|Saphira while she was growing up in the forest near Eragon's home References de:Saphira es:Saphira fi:Saphira it:Saphira nl:Saphira pl:Saphira ru:Сапфира Category:Dragons Category:Varden Category:Females